If you have to replace coast I guess you could use hallowed fountain? The blue is important for phantasmal. It definitely won't be optimal. Maybe razorverge thicket if you don't have many image.
I can think of a few reasons why Saffi is not as good as dauntless bodyguard.
1) it costs 2 mana. We are overloaded on two drops currently. This is great for vial on 2 but can give us awkward turns with 3 mana up where we only play a 2 drop. Vial is also bad vs Jund and should generally be boarded out for more gas. Dauntless is great vs Jund.
One of the biggest differences with the mana cost is that dauntless will trade equally or favourably on mana. Sacrificing saffi to counter a lightning bolt or push trades 2 mana for 1, while dauntless will trade at 1 for 1. Dauntless also trade favourable with dreadbore, terminate, abrupt decay.
Also, in situations where our opponent is not playing an interactive deck Dauntless can give us a clock on turn 1. A 2/1 that grows from lieutenant is an alright play. Obviously not ideal but frequently better than nothing.
2) Our best graveyard hate is a non bo with saffi. Grafdiggers cage turns off saffi. One of the matchups where cage is best is vs control, also a matchup saffi would provide the most value.
Edit: Saffi is also bad vs scooze, which we are seeing a lot of right now.
3) triggering enter/leave the battlefield effects can be both good and bad. For instance, if our opponent kills our meddling mage naming a key removal spell they have an opportunity to use that spell while the saffi trigger is on the stack. It also gives them back their card from freebooter, while we do get to look at their hand again opponents can play around the triggers to punish Saffi over dauntless.
Saffi also can't protect a large champion or lieutenant. There will be times when saving a 4/4 lieutenant or champ from is more impactful than triggering lieutenant again, such as vs a boardwipe where it comes in as a 1/1 with no other creatures to buff.
I'm trying to figure out my sideboard for GP toronto. I'm a little worried about lantern and affinity but not sure how much i should devote to it. i am on the vial version and i'm concerned i won't reliably be able to cast Stony Silence. i am looking at other options and Harsh mentor seems like a solid choice over Kataki or trying to fit in stony.
Please convince me to use or not use harsh mentor!
so my concerns are:
I haven't seen anyone play harsh mentor in the board recently.
It's a permission effect, if affinity kill me or lantern can mill something important and survive they will and the mentor did next to nothing.
lantern can still sit behind a bridge and use their mill rocks sparingly until they get an abrupt decay
affinity has lifelinkers to negate the damage from mentor if they get a cranial in play.
but the benefits are:
Also hates out counters company, knightfall, elves (g/w version and not even that well). Only elves is really a bad matchup for this deck that i'm aware of.
it does seriously harm ravager and man-land heavy draws from affinity
if lantern does not find an answer to it it can end the game through bridge
I've been looking over lists lately and practicing the different versions. I have a few questions:
What is everyone's opinion on Mayor vs Phantasmal? Phantasmal seems more tricky and explosive in testing but Mayor stretches the opponents removal and is a lot more consistent.
vial or avacyns pilgrim? Against grindy matchups I like the pilgrim because people either don't remove the dorks and they grow with Mayor and or remove them and I'm happy, but vial is much better with Phantasmal.
Finally, for the sideboard what graveyard hate are you running? Currently I have 2 anafenza and 1 grafdiggers cage.
Also I just wanted to say how great Gaddock Teeg has been for me. It hits every card I care about except for anger of the gods.
1) it costs 2 mana. We are overloaded on two drops currently. This is great for vial on 2 but can give us awkward turns with 3 mana up where we only play a 2 drop. Vial is also bad vs Jund and should generally be boarded out for more gas. Dauntless is great vs Jund.
One of the biggest differences with the mana cost is that dauntless will trade equally or favourably on mana. Sacrificing saffi to counter a lightning bolt or push trades 2 mana for 1, while dauntless will trade at 1 for 1. Dauntless also trade favourable with dreadbore, terminate, abrupt decay.
Also, in situations where our opponent is not playing an interactive deck Dauntless can give us a clock on turn 1. A 2/1 that grows from lieutenant is an alright play. Obviously not ideal but frequently better than nothing.
2) Our best graveyard hate is a non bo with saffi. Grafdiggers cage turns off saffi. One of the matchups where cage is best is vs control, also a matchup saffi would provide the most value.
Edit: Saffi is also bad vs scooze, which we are seeing a lot of right now.
3) triggering enter/leave the battlefield effects can be both good and bad. For instance, if our opponent kills our meddling mage naming a key removal spell they have an opportunity to use that spell while the saffi trigger is on the stack. It also gives them back their card from freebooter, while we do get to look at their hand again opponents can play around the triggers to punish Saffi over dauntless.
Saffi also can't protect a large champion or lieutenant. There will be times when saving a 4/4 lieutenant or champ from is more impactful than triggering lieutenant again, such as vs a boardwipe where it comes in as a 1/1 with no other creatures to buff.
Please convince me to use or not use harsh mentor!
so my concerns are:
but the benefits are:
What is everyone's opinion on Mayor vs Phantasmal? Phantasmal seems more tricky and explosive in testing but Mayor stretches the opponents removal and is a lot more consistent.
vial or avacyns pilgrim? Against grindy matchups I like the pilgrim because people either don't remove the dorks and they grow with Mayor and or remove them and I'm happy, but vial is much better with Phantasmal.
Finally, for the sideboard what graveyard hate are you running? Currently I have 2 anafenza and 1 grafdiggers cage.
Also I just wanted to say how great Gaddock Teeg has been for me. It hits every card I care about except for anger of the gods.